Guardianship
by KawaiiChica
Summary: A well ordered life presents well ordered choices: Of that, Kenshin Himura was certain. At least he was until a fiesty young girl became his ward. What compelling magic would Kaoru weave around his heart? (AU timeline, KK friendly)
1. Chapter 1

Title: Guardianship  
  
Author: KawaiiChica  
  
E-mail: KawaiiChica@hotmail.com  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Disclaimer: All Rurouni Kenshin characters belong to their prospective owners. I am just borrowing them for the sake of this fanfic.  
  
* * Sounds  
  
" " Speaking  
  
[ ] Thoughts  
  
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"Mademoiselle Kamiya?"  
  
Kaoru turned to face Madame Dupris, the headmistress of her boarding school with a happy smile.  
  
"Oui?"  
  
"There has been a message from your family in Paris, you must return at once. Marie is preparing your luggage as we speak." Madame Dupris motioned for her to follow.  
  
"Papa? Has anything happened to him? What did the message say?" Kaoru's eyes filled with worry.  
  
"There were no specific details in the post but you must be ready to leave at once," Madame Dupris turned away, leading her into the entranceway where Marie stood with a pair of bags. "Get your cloak on and be off, there's a coach waiting for you."  
  
"Oui madame," Kaoru slipped on her cloak and mittens, turning quickly to look for Sabine, her best friend.  
  
"Don't dally Kaoru, you must be off at once," Leaving her no more time to look, Madame Dupris pushed her out the door and into the awaiting carriage. "Let us know if anything's amiss little one," She smiled sweetly.  
  
"Bien sur," Kaoru sat back as the door was closed and the carriage pulled away, leaving her no time to look for her friend. Sticking her head out the window quickly, she wanted to yell a message for her but shrank back as the icy wind hit her face. "Mon dieu," she sighed and closed the window, pulling her feet up in front of her on the seat.  
  
Having nothing to do, she stared at the countryside as it passed by, wondering what could have happened to cause such a hasty trip to the city. [Something must have happened to someone.]  
  
She yawned and rubbed her eyes. Going home to the city was never a good thing for her and at such a hurried pace something was bound to be terribly wrong. She wasn´t too worried though, whatever it was, her father would surely be able to fix it quickly. Ever since she could remember he'd been the only steady thing in her young life.  
  
At the tender age of 11, Kaoru Kamiya was not your average schoolgirl. In stark contrast to her giggly young friends, she didn't spend her time playing, chatting and running about, but studying, practicing her music and keeping herself in strict control. She was the only girl at the school who enjoyed her classes and did not look forward to summer and Christmas holidays. She was mature, too much so for one of her age.  
  
Having been left with only her father at the age of 5, she'd had to care for her self due to her father's lack of interest in her. Had she been a boy there might have been some sort of bond between father and child, but Keiro Kamiya had deeply resented the fact that his wife had given him a daughter, and resented her even more after she'd died and left him alone with the little brat. He'd re-married after the 'proper' mourning time had passed and was pleased with his second wife and the two sons she had given him.  
  
The happy quartet lived together in Paris, where the boys were tutored at home by very expensive teachers and spoiled rotten by their adoring parents. Only during the school's vacations did Kaoru ever see her family, and even then was treated as an unwanted guest. She'd learned not to count on anyone, to fend for herself and to keep her head high, despite their efforts to put her down.  
  
[What could they possibly need me for now?] Kaoru sighed at the thought of seeing her younger brothers so soon. It had only been three months since her last visit and they were all loathe to be brought together very often. Assuring herself it couldn't be anything too grave, she lay down across the seat and quickly fell asleep, knowing it best to gather her strengths for whatever was to come.  
  
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"This way mademoiselle," the doorman escorted her to an office.  
  
"May I ask what this place is?" Kaoru spoke to him, wondering why she´d been brought to this unknown building.  
  
"The gentleman inside shall explain everything in a moment," he gave her a sad smile as he opened the door to an office and announced her. "Mademoiselle Kaoru Kamiya."  
  
"Merci Jean," a gentleman stood from his desk and came to greet Kaoru. "Miss Kamiya, thank you for coming so soon."  
  
"That´s all right, I just don´t understand what I´m doing here. Is Papa coming as well?" Kaoru replied, noticing two other men in front of the stranger´s desk.  
  
"If you would take a seat I shall explain everything to you," the man smiled and extended his hand. "I am Monsieur Charles Masonet at your service and these gentlemen are their lordships Duke and Viscount Daren and Kenshin Himura."  
  
"Its a pleasure to meet you," Kaoru gave a curtsy as she had been taught to do.  
  
"The pleasure is ours," the older of the two gentlemen said with a wink.  
  
Looking at him closely, Kaoru was warmed by his smile. Guessing he was about 47-50, he seemed like a good person. Since he was sitting down she couldn´t see how tall he was, but he certainly was distinguished, with his greyish hair, large blue eyes and broad back, she wouldn´t have been surprised if he´d been quite the ladies man in his youth.  
  
His son, standing behind his father´s chair, was not what you would call tall, but neither was he short. A stark opposite from his father, the young man had an air of hautiness about him that she didn´t like. Standing proudly with his hands behind his back and analyzing her as openly as she did him, something about the look in his cold, slightly purplish eyes, made her feel uncomfortable and strangely young. His bright red hair and soft features also distinquished him from his father, who had more a more statuesque, chisled look about him.  
  
She was brought out of her thoughts as she was asked to sit again by Mr Masonet.  
  
"Excusé moi, is there anything wrong?" Kaoru sat in the empty chair, folding her hands in her lap primly, her back straight despite the fact that her legs weren´t long enough for her to sit against the backrest.  
  
Daren Himura smiled at the young girl´s attempts to sound like an adult. [She is most definitely Kaede´s daughter.] He was surprised to see how much she resembled his deceased friend. [The same blue eyes, black hair, confident air and stubborn pride as her mother´s.]  
  
"Well miss Kamiya, to get down to the point. I regret to have to inform you of the recent passing of your esteemed father, Keiro Kamiya." Charles gave her an apologetic look as he waited for her response.  
  
[He´s dead?] Kaoru blinked, the thought seeming too rash to be true. She shook her head slightly, as if to rid herself of some kind of invisible cloud and asked him to repeat himself.  
  
"I suppose this must come as a shock to you, but your father died five days ago due to a sudden heart attack. His burial was yesterday morning." The older man sat back and waited, wondering about her strange reactions.  
  
Unlike most children would have done, Kaoru didn´t cry or even become teary- eyed, merely sat silently pondering the idea for a few minutes before speaking to herself quietly. "I have missed even the burial... how very typical of my family."  
  
The phrase caught the gentlemen off guard, causing them to give each other questioning glances before she spoke again. Looking at the gentlemen beside her for a second before focusing on the lawyer, she cocked her head to the side as she asked. "I don´t suppose I´ll be staying with my step-mother and brothers, will I? I couldn´t imagine her wanting to take care of me now, at least not any more than she used to."  
  
"No," Charles felt a wave of pity for the young girl sitting before him, her maturity suddenly making perfect sense. "As your legal advisor, I have called you here to explain what will happen to you now. As of today you will be under your uncle´s guardianship until you reach the appropriate legal age."  
  
"I apologize for interrupting Monsieur, but I have no uncles." Kaoru sighed and continued, "Perhaps my school could make itself responsible for me, Madame Dupris or..."  
  
"That isn´t true my dear," the man sitting beside her finally spoke up. "Did your mother never tell you about me?"  
  
Kaoru turned to face him and shook her head, "Maman died when I was five, I can barely recall the lullaby she used to sing to me. She wrote it for me when I was little." For the first time her stance changed, her shoulders slumping a bit as she looked away and added as an afterthought. "It was really nice."  
  
Daren Himura felt a pang of guilt for never having tried to communicate with Kaede´s child before. In her eyes was a look of old age that should not have been for one so young. [Her damned father neglected her after Kaede´s death. I always thought he´d taken care of their only child.]  
  
"I´m sure it was dear," he saw her nod and blink away the tears that had formed in her eyes.  
  
"But you´ve never been truly alone, you´ve always had a family," he tried to amend. "Although your mother and I were not related by blood, our mothers were the best of friends and we grew up regarding one another as cousins. Well actually, I would say it was more of a brotherly/siterly type of relationship due to our age differences. But we both swore to help one another in any time of need, and that oath would now include you."  
  
"Thank you," Kaoru gave him a slight smile and turned away again to the lawyer, "So my father died and left in his testament that I should be given to my mother´s family?"  
  
Charles inwardly winced, "Your father´s properties were left to his current wife, Madame Gianna Kamiya, and his sons. All except the house here in Paris, which was bought under your mother´s name. That property is yours due to HER last will & testimony, as well as a rather large amount in bank shares and other capital. According to her testament, if anything should occur to leave you in the situation you now face, you were to go live with her dear friend, Daren Himura, or his eldest son in case he wasn´t able to care for you either."  
  
"That´s all very well but what worries me is that I shall not have to leave my home, correct? My family will have to leave if the house is mine!" Kaoru seemed to brighten, "Wonderful, and what about my school? Do I have money to keep the house? May I chose which of the servants stay and which will go? What options do I have?"  
  
"Your uncle must see to your housing, being your legal guardian. He will have control over all of your assets until you are 21. To say things more clearly, you are under his and his son´s guardianship now." Charles gave her a smile.  
  
Kaoru didn´t return the gesture, frowning as she looked at her uncle and cousin again. "Why?"  
  
"Because you´re just a child, how do you expect to manage such a large property? Not to mention all the funds." Her cousin finally spoke.  
  
Kaoru´s eyes widened at his tone before his words sunk into her mind. Standing and putting a hand on her hip, she glared at him defiantly. "How dare you question my abilities? You know nothing about me, perhaps I CAN take care of such a large property on my own."  
  
"Do you really think so?" Kenshin inwardly smiled at her fiery spirit.  
  
"Enough!" Daren raised a hand to silence his son and leaned towards his niece. "You may be able to care of yourself and your property, I honestly believe you quite capable, but the law will not accept your decisions because of your age. I will take care of things for you with your approval of how your money is spent and your house, whether its put to use or taken care of, all right?"  
  
Kaoru sighed and thought it over for a moment. Looking into his friendly face, she couldn´t help but trust him and grudgingly agreed. "Very well, but what about my schooling? I will be able to return to my school, right?"  
  
"Certainly, you can stay here and come home with us for vacations and holi..." Daren was cut off by a touch on his shoulder from his son. After listening to him for a second, he frowned and nodded. "Quite right... of course..."  
  
Kaoru stared at her cousin suspiciously, not surprised when her uncle changed his mind. "As my son has pointed out to me, it would be rather difficult to come in case of any emergency all the way from our home in Brighton. Kenshin has heard of an excellent school for young ladies in Whitney which would not be too far from his university in Oxford."  
  
"But I don´t want to leave!" Kaoru protested, glaring once again at her cousin.  
  
"It would be safer for you to be closer to the family, not to mention that the school there is renown for the way their young ladies are educated. You´ll do well there, and if its your friends you´re worried about, you can always keep in touch through letters." Kenshin explained.  
  
"Then its settled? Miss Kamiya will be going to an English school." Charles confirmed.  
  
"Yes, but we must deal with the inscription and all that so how about we arrange this; Kaoru, you will have two more weeks at your current school, during which time Ken will deal with all the paperwork in Whitney and then come pick you up. That way you can say your good-byes properly to your friends here." Daren patted her hand and sat back to speak to Charles. "It would be better if she were to be picked up here in Paris, perhaps at her home? We´ll set the date for two weeks from this Friday."  
  
"Very good, Miss Kamiya, would you prefer to spend the evening with your uncle and cousin or to return to your school? Perhaps you´d like to visit your family here in the city? Let them know of your plans?" Charles asked the angry young girl courteously.  
  
"You mean I DO have some say in all this? I was beginning to wonder." Kaoru stood and straightened her skirt. "I´d like to get back to school as soon as possible. My future plans no longer involve my family here in Paris."  
  
She gave a slight curtsy for her uncle and the lawyer before ignoring her cousin as she headed to the door.  
  
"See you in two weeks Kaoru," Kenshin grinned mockingly.  
  
"Merveilleux," Kaoru mumbled, opening the door and ordering for her carriage to be sent.  
  
Once the door was closed behind her, Daren gave a chuckle and shook his head. "As spirited and independent as her mother I dare say, it's a bit alarming to see such similarities. There´s almost no sign of her father in her, to my profound relief."  
  
"I´m sure," Charles also smiled.  
  
[This is going to be interesting] Kenshin chuckled, remembering the angry glare she´d given him as she´d yelled at him for wondering about her capabilities.  
  
[Interesting indeed]  
  
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French terms:  
  
Oui - Yes  
  
Bien sur - Of course  
  
Mon dieu - My God  
  
Merci - Thank you  
  
Merveilleux - Marvelous  
  
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Well, there ends Chapter 1  
  
I hope you like the story so far, I have the whole thing written out in my head and notebook so chapters should be posted regularly, and most will probably be longer than this. I must be honest and say that I LOVE reviews, so if you´d leave me one and let me know what you think, I´d really appreciate it. Thanks a bunch!  
  
~ K.C ~ 


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Guardianship  
  
Author: KawaiiChica  
  
E-mail: KawaiiChica@hotmail.com  
  
Rating: PG   
  
Disclaimer: All Rurouni Kenshin characters belong to their prospective owners. I am just borrowing them for the sake of this fanfic.  
  
A/N: Hey there, I guess I didn´t make things quite clear in the last chapter over Kenshin and Kaoru´s relationship. No, they´re not blood related, their parents were neighbors and saw each other as brother and sister, but they are not, in fact, actually related in any way. Hope that clears up any doubts!  
  
* * Sounds  
  
" " Speaking  
  
[ ] Thoughts  
  
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"Adieu!" Kaoru waved to her friends standing outside Madame Dupris´ academy. She´d had only one very short week to say her good-byes and was now heading back to the city she´d known all her life for one last time. A sense of dread ran through her at the thought of going to England to live with her mother´s friend and his family.   
  
[Especially that awful son of his]   
  
The sheer memory of his cold smile as he stood behind his father´s chair getting her angry again. It was all HIS fault. Daren had been perfectly willing to let her stay in France until HE had to interfere and convince him that she should go to England. [Yes, everything is most definitely his fault.] Kaoru sighed and settled in for the ride, thanking her lucky stars that it wouldn´t be too long.  
  
Upon arriving at her home, she was surprised to find the house dark and unwelcoming. [Where is everyone?]   
  
Kaoru stepped down from the coach and instructed the driver to set her things at the top of the stairs. Having brought everything from her school, the poor man had to haul down two large trunks and three bags of clothes and school materials. While he did so, Kaoru walked up the steps to the door and turned the handle, surprised that Michele the butler wasn´t there to recieve her. To her further surpise, the door was locked. "This can´t be right, they should have been expecting me," Kaoru went down the steps and ordered the driver to wait for her. "I´ll be just a moment."   
  
Going around the side of the house and through the yard to the kitchen door, she was surprised to find that door locked as well. "What´s the meaning of this?"   
  
Kaoru ran to the front of the house, worried now as she saw the sun was beginning to set and she heard the movement of the coach´s wheels. Reaching the doorway she yelled at the driver, "Hey wait a moment!"   
  
"Excuse-moi mademoiselle, I have another young lady to pick up in twenty minutes and cannot be late!" he yelled over his shoulder before motioning the horses to move faster.  
  
"But... but what am I going to do?" Kaoru looked up at the closed door again worriedly. After thinking over her options for a few moments, Kaoru remembered the old doorway leading into the pantry beneath a bunch of shrubbery that nobody ever remembered. Having used it to sneak out a few times to play with her friends, she hurried back around the house and gave a relieved sigh when, after a slight struggle with the much larger shrubbery, the small door opened and she was able to get into the house.   
  
Coming out of the dark pantry, Kaoru wiped her dress off and stood shocked as she saw the complete desolation in the kitchen. Every single drawer had been emptied, the tables were gone, as well as even the last crumb in the pantry. Walking around in a trance-like state, Kaoru felt her heart plummet to her toes as she realized the whole house had been emptied out. Not a piece of furniture, clothing, even paper was left. Every cupboard, shelf and room had been left bare. No good-bye note or anything had been left either.   
  
"What am I going to do?" Kaoru whispered, sitting numbly at the top of the steps, hands gripped tightly together in front of her chest as she contemplated her situation.  
  
[I´m all alone, I have no way of asking for help or getting to Monsieur Masonet and all the money I have left is... my bags!] Kaoru ran down the stairs, looking out the glass windows in the door for her bags. Seeing them still there, she realized she´d have to bring them inside soon or they´d be robbed in the night.   
  
It took her nearly an hour to drag both trunks and the bags to the back of the house, another half an hour to shove them through the small doorway and get them into the house, and by the time she was finished, her dress was ripped in various places, as well as filthy and her hair was askew. Looking into her purse as she rested on top of one of the trunks, she was dismayed to find she had only one livre and five sou left.   
  
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*A/N: Just a brief explanation before we  
  
continue. The ratio of money in France  
  
is 12:20:1 - meaning that   
  
12 denier = 1 sou and 20 sou = 1 livre  
  
In British terms the amount would be  
  
12 pence = 1 shilling and   
  
20 shillings = 1 pound sterling  
  
This system is supposed to be the ratio  
  
of the value from copper - silver - gold  
  
In the times the story was set, one person  
  
made on average 5-8 sous a day, which   
  
would be about 2 days worth of bread.  
  
********************************************  
  
"Mon dieu!" Kaoru felt herself begin to panick and stood, pacing about the room as she went over her finances. "Monsiuer Gauche´s bread store is nearby and if I buy one loaf daily, that´ll be 4 sous, for five days, that takes care of the livre, but what about the other two days? I must buy some milk, but even if I only spend one sou on that daily, I´ll be left poor for two days."   
  
Rubbing her forehead tiredly, she shivered suddenly and realized it was getting darker by the minute. "I don´t have anything to make a fire with!"   
  
After putting away her money and deciding to leave her monetary problems for later, she took her warmest cloak out of one of her bags and wrapped it around herself, feeling suddenly very small in the large house. Deciding to spend one of her sous on a few matches, she climbed back out of the house and hurried over to the nearest store, returning with a mere four matches and quickly picked up as many leaves and branches she could see in the dark garden. She spent the next hour picking up as much as she could until she realized it was too dark to see any more and decided to stay inside the house. Closing the pantry and pushing her two heavy trunks against the door, she turned and saw with dismay the small amount of leaves and sticks she´d been able to gather.  
  
"I suppose things could be worse, it could begin to..." A roll of thunder interrupted her, as well as a light tapping that began on the steps outside. "...Rain."  
  
Kaoru sighed and waited until the cold became too much to bear before using a match and making a small fire in the stove. Pulling one of her bags beside it, she lay down and lay staring at the small flames as she held a leaf over them, wondering how her life could have changed so drastically over the course of a week and a few days. [And to think that Kenshin won´t be here to for me until a week from today.]   
  
Kaoru felt tears form in her eyes as a roll of thunder sounded, making her jump in fear. [This is all that horrible Kenshin´s fault! All of it!]   
  
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The next week was a harrowing one for Kaoru. She spent 4 sous on a loaf of bread the first day and was dismayed to see how small the breadmaker made them now. [I was hoping this would last me two days!] She sighed as she looked down at the small loaf in her hand, barely larger than her two hands put together. After buying a bit of milk and taking the meager food home, she spent the day looking for more things to burn, having run out of things and spent half the previous night freezing, balled up in front of the stove where her small fire had lain.  
  
She was happy to discover a good-sized stack of old sticks and twigs a few houses away, where a neighbor had hired a new gardener who was re-trimming all the trees in their yard and threw the small pieces against the wall of the house. After making countless trips between both houses, Kaoru finally made a pile which she deemed large enough to last her for the night, if not two.  
  
The next two days she spent once again, 4 sous on a loaf of bread each day, leaving a bit of each loaf to cover for the two days she wouldn´t be able to buy. Her fourth night was spent once again, cold and balled up before the empty stove since it rained during the day and she was unable to find anything suitable to burn.   
  
On the fifth day, she decided not to go out at all and spent it upstairs in the attic, watching people through one of the windows as they went about their activities. Her stomach growled so strongly she thought she would die of famine, but knew she needed to save the six sous she had left and tried to ignore it. Twice she envied a litle girl whose mother had taken out for a walk. Once, when the girl walked by, licking a large ice-cream cone, which by mere klumsiness, ended up on the floor. And a second time when, after soothing the crying child, the mother bought her another, larger cone. Mentally berating the little girl for dropping such a treasure, Kaoru was surprised to discover a tear slipped from her eye when she looked longingly down at the melting cone on the ground. [I can´t believe this is happening to me!]   
  
Not wanting to spend another night freezing before the stove, Kaoru got up at around mid-day and went out to a nearby park in hopes of finding something decent to burn. Emptying one of her book bags on her way out, she used it to sotre the leaves and twigs in, so as to save on the number of trips she´d have to make. When she was barely halfway through with her second trip, Kaoru groaned as she saw the sky darken, rain threatening again. [Why won´t it stop? What did I do to deserve this?] She was able to make it home without getting too wet, the bag arrived safely dry after she´d stuffed it beneath her cloak.   
  
Two more days passed by, both of which she went out solely for the last bits of bread and milk she could afford, since the rain would not stop. Arriving soaking wet both days, Kaoru merely shivered, laid out her cloak to dry, and walked briskly through the house to keep herself warm, not wanting to ruin another dress. [I´ve already ruined two dresses and I can´t close that trunk by my self.] She thought dismally as she glared at the large trunk blocking the pantry doors. She´d had to look for the dress she now wore in one of her bags and had been lucky that it hadn´t fit in the trunk or she´d still have been wearing the dress she´d arrived in the first day.   
  
[No matter, he should be here tomorrow and then everything will be ok.] Kaoru rubbed her cold arms and picked up her pace, keeping her hopes up with the thought of the scolding she´d give her ´cousin´ when he arrived the next day. [This is, after all, HIS fault!]   
  
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"Here we are sir," the driver of Kenshin´s coach opened the door for him, checking once again that the address was correct.   
  
"Merci," Kenshin stepped out of the carriage and frowned slightly at the sight of the house. [Why are there no curtains on the windows?] Walking up to the door, he was surprised when nobody came to answer. [What in the world?]  
  
Wiping the dirty glass with his coat sleeve, he peered inside, shocked at the sight of the empty hallway. But more shocking than that, was the sight of Kaoru lyaing unconscious on the bottom step of the staircase. "KAORU!"   
  
Kenshin yelled, turning the knob in a useless attempt to get inside. Ordering the coachman to wait for them there, Kenshin hurried to the back of the house, surprised to find the kitchen door locked as well. [How did she get in?] Looking for a way to get in, he sighed and ran back to the front of the house. He was relieved to see the coachman had been able to pick the lock to the front door and was pushing it open.   
  
Rushing over to Kaoru´s side, Kenshin couldn´t believe this could be the same girl who´d stood so confidently in the lawyer´s office barely two weeks earlier. "Wake up Kaoru, come on..." Kenshin tried shaking her awake but feeling her forehead, he wasn´t surprised by her high temperature. Lifting her into his arms, he carried her out to his carriage and gently lay her across the seat, pulling off his jacket and setting it over her carefully.   
  
After going through the house and realizing what had happened, he quickly helped the coachman carry the trunks and bags out to the carriage and they were soon on their way. To his dismay, Kaoru didn´t regain consciouness until two days later. Having dismissed her nurse moments before she woke up, he was frowning down at her, thinking over what the poor thing must have been through, infuriated at her family for leaving her like that.   
  
Kaoru blinked, not surprised to see Kenshin frowning down at her and felt her anger at him rising again. "You were late."   
  
"Only two days," Kenshin inwardly grinned at her accusing glare, glad to see she was feeling well enough to be angry. "What in the devil happened to you? I arrive to pick you up, find the house bare and you lying on the ground, filthy and with your clothes in ruins. Where was your family? What were you doing there?"  
  
"I was taking care of myself," Kaoru rolled her eyes at him.  
  
Kenshin nodded, "How long were you there?"   
  
"Over a week, I couldn´t stay both weeks at my school due to a trip they were going to make so I had to come home last Saturday." Kaoru looked around, noticing a glass of water beside the bed, she reached out and took hold of it, quickly draining the small glass.  
  
"A WEEK?! Was the house empty when you arrived?" Kenshin sat down beside her, disbelieving that she could have remained there for so long.  
  
"Yes, everything was gone when I arrived," Kaoru felt her stomach grumble and frowned.  
  
"Why didn´t you go to Monsiuer Masonet? He could have reached us and kept you with him until I arrived." Kenshin shook his head at her, "Or the police? Did it never occur to you that they should have been notified? That house is yours, everything in it was yours as well, your step-mother robbed you when she sold it all."  
  
By the shocked look in her wide eyes Kenshin could tell she had never thought of those things. As her expression changed from shock to uncertainty, he felt guilt flood him as her eyes filled with tears and her chin began to tremble.   
  
Her voice was suddenly young, reminding him of her age as she looked down at her glass and replied, "I did the best I could. I didn´t know how to get to Monsiuer Masonet and..."   
  
Kenshin grimaced, a knot forming in his stomach as a tear rolled down her cheek. Moving forward to give her a comforting hug, he smiled softly as he pulled her close. "I´m sorry, I didn´t mean to blame you, and you did a very good job of taking care of yourself."  
  
Kaoru shook her head, feeling warm and safe in his arms, "No I didn´t, I couldn´t manage my money and I ran out of food too soon. The bread should have lasted until Saturday but I couldn´t wait and I finished it on Friday."  
  
[The poor thing] Kenshin imagined how hungry she must have been, with no food or water for three days. [Thank god she´s all right]   
  
"I´m sure you must be quite hungry then," he smiled and smoothed down her hair as she nodded.  
  
Kaoru suddenly remembered the child who´d dropped her ice cream and felt her stomach growl again. "I was looking out at the people on the street a few days ago and this dumb child dropped her ice cream." Kaoru´s hands balled into fists as she remembered, "I could have slapped her."  
  
Kenshin chuckled, "After you have something nourishing to eat, I promise to buy you as much ice cream as you´d like."  
  
"Really?" Kaoru lifted her head to look into his eyes with such a hopeful look in hers, as though he were promising her the world, that Kenshin chuckled again.  
  
"I promise," Kenshin smiled and smoothed a hand through her hair, a sense of relief coming over him as she smiled back.  
  
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Kenshin spent three more days in Paris, taking Kaoru to all her favorite places one last time in order to make up for her terrible ordeal. They went to her favorite restaurants, the Louvre, to the palace of Versailles and the newly built Eiffel Tower. He was surprised to hear she´d been to the grand opening during the World Fair the previous year.   
  
"Ah oui, papa was friends with Monsieur Eiffel so we had the chance to be at the opening," Kaoru´s eyes shone as they made their way around the second level.  
  
"Must have been exciting for you," Kenshin was surprised to see her shrug.  
  
"I suppose it could have been worse. Mes horreurs, my brothers, were actually quite a handful and I was told to look after them so I spent most of the day running behind them, pulling their ears and trying to get them to behave." Kaoru promptly changed the subject, pulling him to see a souvenir stand.  
  
During the trip home he was surprised by her friendliness. Having been quite reserved and cold towards them during their first meeting, she was now cheerful and bright, pointing out interesting sights and asking him about his home. Kenshin replied easily, warning her about Tae, their housekeeper who was more like a seargent-at-arms, he told her about some of the eccentric neighbors and his old sensei Hiko-san, whom she would probably meet soon. The entire carriage ride home was spent talking and they arrived sooner than expected.   
  
It was raining when the coach stopped in front of the door and Kaoru was covered by Kenshin´s jacket and hurried inside, leaving her no time to take a good look at the house from outside. As soon as the jacket was taken off of her, she was surprised to find someone wiping down her dress and scolding her lightly.  
  
"Now this is no way for a young lady to arrive, you got your dress wet in the back and that will probably leave a stain." An older, but serious looking lady tsked.   
  
"Oh do stop fussing Tae and leave the child be," A smaller, more fragile looking woman came to her side and smiled kindly at Kaoru. "You know, my Daren had told me you were as lovely as your mother but I hadn´t expected such a strong likeness."  
  
Looking up at the woman, with her light brown hair lifted in a neat chiffon atop her head, Kaoru felt a warmth filling her as she was taken by the hand and pulled into a room down the hallway. "I´m so glad you´re here at last, Kenshin took too long coming home and we were beginning to get worried."   
  
"I did send word," Kenshin reminded her, frowning slightly as his mother hovered around the subdued child.  
  
"Je suis desolée," Kaoru mumbled, unthinkingly switching back to French as she bit her lip.  
  
"Its all right dear," the woman smiled and sat her down before the fireplace. "I suppose you must be tired from the trip, perhaps you should take a small nap before dinner. Daren is out at a neighbor´s dealing with some business but we shall be dinning at seven."  
  
"I am a bit tired," Kaoru stifled a yawn and smiled.  
  
"Of course you are, come along then," the woman took her hand again and led her through the house, mentioning bits and pieces of random history as they passed paintings of ancestors and reminders of her time there. They went through quite a few turns and up two different stairways before they arrived in what was designated as Kaoru´s bedroom.   
  
"You have a small parlor next door through there and your armoire is here," she opened a set of doors, "Your bathroom is that door there and the bell chord is beside the bed should you need anything."   
  
"Merci," Kaoru stood in the middle of the enormous room, overwhelmed by the large bed and furniture. The enitre house seemed overwhelming, the storm outside doing nothing to calm her nerves.  
  
"You have a nice rest my dear, if you need help changing Tsubame will be nearby," the woman smiled and was about to leae when Kaoru called out. "What about Kenshin? Will the Duke be back soon? What about the Dutchess?"  
  
"Oh dear, I was so glad to see you I never realized I hadn´t introduced myself," the slight figure smiled and came to her side, "I am Aiko Himura, Kenshin´s mother."  
  
"Oh!" Kaoru´s eyes widened as she curtsied.  
  
"There´s no need for that," Aiko gave a soft smile, turning as a voice interrupted from the doorway.  
  
"Mother has something happened?" Kenshin came into the room with a frown. "Why is everyone wearing black?"  
  
Aiko´s smile dissapeared, "Maelin came down with pneumonia a few days ago, we tried to get her medical help but it was no use. She passed away the day before yesterday so we are still in mourning."  
  
"And what about her son?" Kenshin asked.  
  
"I´m not exactly sure what your father has decided to do, the poor dear, he´s been so brave these past few days. I have yet to see him cry." Aiko sighed. "And he´s so little too."  
  
"How old is he again? Can´t be more than seven," Kenshin glanced at Kaoru, who seemed very interested in the conversation.  
  
"Only five," Aiko shook her head slightly and turned to Kaoru again, "But don´t you worry dear, try to take a nap as I suggested before."  
  
"May I see him?" Kaoru asked, looking from Kenshin to Aiko.  
  
"Why would you want to see him? I don´t think he wants to play right now," Aiko smiled.  
  
"I would like to speak with him, it couldn´t hurt, I promise not to say anything unkind." Kaoru looked so worried it surprised both of them. "Please?"  
  
"Very well," Aiko motioned for her to follow as they exited the room. They took her down to the servants quarters at the back of the house, knocking lightly on the door to the room the boy and his mother had shared.  
  
"Who is it?" a young voice asked.  
  
"Yahiko, may we come in?" Aiko asked.  
  
They heard the sound of bare feet coming towards them and the door was opened, a small boy with messy black hair and puffy eyes opened it slightly. "I´d rather be left alone M´am."  
  
"Bonjour," Kaoru stepped up to the door and gave him her hand, "My name´s Kaoru and I´m going to live here, since you´re not that much younger than me I hoped we could be friends."  
  
"I don´t want any friends," Yahiko replied, ignoring her hand, "I just want my mother."  
  
"I know how you feel," Kaoru sighed and pushed the door open so she could enter, "My mother died when I was your age too."  
  
Yahiko´s eyes widened in surprise, "Really?"  
  
"Yep," Kaoru took his hand off the door and pulled him over to the bed, nodding as Kenshin and Aiko left them alone. "And you know..."   
  
-------------------  
  
Two hours later, Kenshin went back to the servant´s quarters for Kaoru, knowing his parents wanted her to join them for dinner. Arriving at Yahiko´s room, he was surprised to hear a soft melody coming from the door of his room. As he peeked inside the room, he smiled as he saw Yahiko lying with his head in Kaoru´s lap and holding a small music box on his stomach.  
  
"My mother had it made for me when I was born," Kaoru was explaining, "She used to write music and she wrote this song for me."  
  
"Do you remember how it goes?" Yahiko asked.  
  
"Mais oui," Kaoru cleared her throat and closed the box, winding the knob on the back before opening it and letting the soft melody play for a second before she began to sing.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Baby mine, don't you cry.  
  
Baby mine, dry your eyes.  
  
Rest your head close to my heart,  
  
never to part, baby of mine.  
  
Little one, when you play,  
  
pay no heed what they say.  
  
Let your eyes sparkle and shine,  
  
never a tear, baby of mine.  
  
If they knew all about you,  
  
they'd end up loving you, too.  
  
All those same people who scold you,  
  
what they'd give just for the right to hold you.  
  
From your hair down to your toes,  
  
you're not much, goodness knows.  
  
But, you're so precious to me,  
  
sweet as can be, baby of mine.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The music box was slowing by the time she finished and Kaoru waited for it to stop completely before closing it. Looking down and seeing Yahiko had fallen asleep, she carefully lay his head down on a pillow as she slipped out from underneath him and tucked a blanket over him. "Rêves doux petite."  
  
Leaving his room on tip-toe, she was surprised to run into Kenshin outside the door. "Oui?"  
  
Kenshin closed the door quietly and spoke softly, "Its time for dinner, my parents would like you to join us."  
  
"Bien," Kaoru straightened out her dress and sighed. "I would have liked to have changed before seeing your father again."  
  
"Then go up to your room and change quickly, I´m sure they won´t mind waiting," Kenshin told her the way to go and headed for the dinning room.   
  
A few minutes later, Kaoru appeared, wearing a fashionable blue dress and a matching ribbon in her freshly brushed hair. She curtsied politely again and thanked them for waiting, sitting beside Kenshin where her place had been set.   
  
"Its good to see you again my dear, but next time, forget the formalities, you´re part of the family," Daren smiled and gave her a warm smile.  
  
Kaoru´s eyes shone with tears slightly as she smiled back, "Merci, its just that I am used to curtsying when greeting adults."  
  
"But you didn´t have to curtsy for your father, right? That would have been..." Daren stopped as he saw her nervously twisting a napkin. "Well, nevermind that here."  
  
Kaoru nodded and settled the napkin in her lap, quietly eating as Kenshin and his mother began talking about their delay. He explained that there were some things Kaoru had needed to buy and that he´d felt that a tour of the city would be fun before she left. Kaoru ate quietly, merely smiling and nodded now and then. Aiko watched her carefully, surprised by how maturely the girl acted. When the conversation changed to a neighbor´s problem with one of his field hands, they were surprised by Kaoru´s sudden interruption.  
  
"Speaking of servants, may I ask what will happen to Yahiko now?" Kaoru set her fork down beside her cake and wiped her mouth carefully.  
  
Daren sighed, "I was asked by Baron Linden to send him to his home in Oxford. He has a stablehand who is willing to watch over the boy and bring him up."  
  
"That´s very kind of him," Aiko smiled.  
  
"I certainly thought so," Daren agreed.  
  
"But its horrible!" Kaoru set her napkin down on the table, "The poor boy is lost, he doesn´t know what´s going to happen to him, his only family is gone and you want to send him away from the only place he´s ever known?"  
  
Daren looked at the girl with a questioning look in his eyes as he asked, "And what else could I do? There´s no one here who can take care of the boy, my own stablehands are all young and unmarried. Linden´s man is married with a boy of his own and willing to take in another."  
  
"But you can´t!" Kaoru shook her head, "You can´t send the poor little thing alone, its horrible, you... you have no idea."   
  
Noting the tears in her eyes and the anguish in her voice, Kenshin set a hand on her shoulder, getting her attention and asking, "What would you suggest we do?"  
  
"Let him stay," Kaoru immediately replied, turning back to her uncle, "Let him stay with me. I can take care of him and we won´t be any trouble."  
  
"But my dear, what about your schooling?" Aiko reminded her, "You cannot leave your studies and he cannot go to the ladies academy."  
  
Kaoru sighed, thinking a moment before suggesting, "I could stay here. Could you not hire me a tutor perhaps? Someone to give me lessons here in the mornings? That way I could spend the afternoons with Yahiko and keep him out of trouble. He could even be taught by my tutor and I could help him with his studies, or I could teach him the very basic things like how to read and write myself in the afternoons."   
  
Seeing the doubt on her guardian´s face, she quickly continued, "If money is the problem then that´s easily settled. I know I have enough to pay the tutor out of my own funds, and you did promise you´d allow me to decide how those funds were spent."  
  
Daren shook his head, a strangle twinkle in his eye before he suddenly laughed, "You won´t let him go, will you? Very well, if its that important to you to the boy may stay and be educated alongside of you. Kenshin will be in charge of finding you a suitable tutor and of informing the ladie´s school that you will not be joining them as planned."  
  
"MERCI!" Kaoru unexpectedly jumped from her seat and threw her arms around her uncle´s neck, giving him a large kiss on the cheek as he laughed once again. "Merci beaucoup!"  
  
"De rien!" Daren laughed, looking over her shoulder at his son and wife, who watched with amused smiles on their faces. [This is going to be good for her.] Daren patted her back and set her on her feet, still grinning as Kaoru bounced back into her seat and happily finished her dessert, plans for her young pupil already forming in her mind.  
  
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French Terms:  
  
Adieu - Good bye  
  
Je suis desolée - I am sorry  
  
Mais ou - But yes  
  
De rien - You´re welcome  
  
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End of Chapter 2  
  
Sorry for the delay, I meant to have this turned in on Saturday but I was busy at work last week and couldn´t finish as planned.   
  
Thank you´s:  
  
--Anti [.] Poptarts - Kenshin was jerk last chapter, what did you think of him this time?  
  
Nim - She´s a bit young now, but yes, she will get sexy and will definitely be a handful for her poor guardian.  
  
Lere - Sorry for the long wait, I hope you liked the end of When I Fall In Love. I felt bad after you reviewed and got myself to finish as soon as possible.  
  
Vanilla bean - Updates will be as soon as I can get them out. Since I have to write these things at work, I have to really get things done in order to be able to write, but I hope they will be often.  
  
SilverLightning177 - I know, it was a bit confusing about their relationship, but no they´re not blood related.  
  
Poppy2 - Ken will be devilish, but also tender like he was here. Hope you liked this chap.  
  
lil-miss-kitsune - I hope the delay wasn´t too long, what did you think?  
  
marstanuki - Merci! (My French isn´t that great either but its a challenge) I hope you like this fic, I´m always glad to hear from you. Especially since I admire your own works so much. Thanks again!  
  
Niky9 - Oh I have a lot of little surprises for Ken up my sleave, but they will have to wait until next time.   
  
Angie - Did you like the follow up?   
  
Friend of InuYasha+Kagome - This story will go on until she is 21, so its going to take some time, but it will have quite a few bumps and changes along the way.  
  
kels - I really like to think of Kaoru as spunky and independent so I try to portray that in most of my fics. England has always fascinated me and so has France. I hope I cleared your doubts earlier about their reationship.  
  
HanyouGohan - Thank you so much for reviewing! You´ve followed through most of my stories and I really appreciate your comments. I hope you enjoy this fic as much as the others!  
  
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I hope to hear from you all again, see you next chapter!  
  
~ K.C. ~ 


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: I'm so sorry for the lack of updating on this story. I was so blocked for a while, I had it written out and I lost the outline and then I couldn't get any inspiration and its just been bad. Hope it was worth the wait though!  
  
" ___ " Speaking  
  
[ ___ ] Thoughts  
  
  
  
  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"May we be excused?" Kaoru patiently waited for her aunt to reply.   
  
Keeping her hands behind her dress, she crossed her fingers, hoping she'd say yes and relieve them of their suffering. Aiko seemed to notice their restlessness over the past couple of hours and nodded in her direction.   
  
"Thank you, " Kaoru curtsied politely towards their guests and was relieved when she and Yahiko reached the doorway. Exiting quickly, they ran outside and took deep breaths of the fresh air as they headed towards the stables.   
  
"Its so boring in there!" Yahiko climbed on top of one of the stalls and smiled at the horse inside. "You sure are lucky, all you do is run and eat and sleep."  
  
"He must get bored," Kaoru frowned up at him, "How many times have I told you not to climb onto his stall? He doesn't like you!"   
  
"He won't do anything!" Yahiko laughed and kicked his legs back and forth. But just as he did so, the horse turned towards him and reared back, kicking its forelegs toward him.   
  
With a startled cry, Yahiko leaned back and fell off the stall and into a large pile of hay beside it. Kaoru burst into a fit of giggles at the sight of him sprawled out and covered in hay, scowling up at her angrily. "Shut up ugly!"  
  
"Now Yahiko, that's no way to speak to a young lady." Emerson, the head groom came over and helped him up.   
  
"She's not a young lady, she's just a girl," Yahiko mumbled, wiping straws out of his hair and from his clothes.  
  
"Kaoru certainly IS a young lady," Kenshin's voice sounded from the door to the stables and they turned to see him dismounting from his destrier. "At her age, she must begin to act properly, not that she does."  
  
"Ken-ii!" Kaoru ran up and hugged him, "I'm so glad you're here! But what are you doing home?"   
  
"I'm home on a short vacation," he smiled, feeling a twinge of remorse at the small lie.  
  
"Magnifique!" Kaoru took hold of his hand and began walking towards the house with him, ignoring Yahiko who followed behind glaring at her, or rather, at HIM. To anyone who looked on, the love shinning in Kaoru's eyes when she looked at Kenshin was childish admiration, but Yahiko knew better, he knew what her dream in life was - to marry her dear Ken-ii.  
  
[She always forgets about everyone else when he shows up!] Yahiko sighed and knowing he wouldn't be missed, turned and headed towards their playhouse by the lake.   
  
"I've also brought you a surprise," Kenshin continued, "You remember my friend Tomoe that I've mentioned so many times?"  
  
"Of course, how could I forget?" Kaoru's smile dimmed a bit at his mentioning the girl he'd known all his life. "What about her?"  
  
"Well... she's here," Kenshin watched her closely, surprised to see her frown slightly before smiling. "You don't want to meet her?"  
  
"Oui, bien sûr," Kaoru looked down at her dress and was relieved that she hadn't sat on anything dirty.  
  
[What could this be about?] Kenshin wondered, knowing that Kaoru only reverted back to speaking french when extremely excited or insecure about something. He slipped his arm around her shoulders to give her a comforting squeeze and led her into the house. "Where's Yahiko?"   
  
Kaoru shrugged, "He probably didn't want to come back to the house so soon, since aunt Aiko had us cooped up and listening to her speaking to her friends for hours already."  
  
Reaching the stairs, they were greeted at the bottom by Daren and a young lady who could be no one other than Tomoe. Kaoru looked her over carefully, feeling a sense of dread fill her as she realized that everything Kenshin had said about her was true. Standing in a light blue dress of the latest fashion, with her petite shoulders raised in obviously natural poise, skin soft and creamy, she made Kaoru feel suddenly very childish and young.  
  
"Ah here you are! Kaoru come meet Tomoe," Daren smiled at her as she nodded politely at the older girl.  
  
"Its a pleasure to meet you," Kaoru forced herself to say.  
  
"The pleasure's all mine. You know, Ken-ii had mentioned that you were pretty, but I think he didn't quite gives you enough credit my dear. You are going to take the ton by storm when you reach your eighteenth year." Tomoe smiled back.  
  
"Merci," Kaoru looked up towards Daren, suddenly seeming to remember something, "May I go look for Yahiko? Its getting dark outside and I wouldn't want him to catch cold."  
  
"Of course my dear, run along now, Tomoe will be here for the next two weeks so you'll have time to chat." Daren dismissed her and motioned for the young couple to join him in his office. "We'll be safe from Aiko's lady friends while they leave in here."  
  
Tomoe giggled softly and took the seat he offered, motioning for Kenshin to sit beside her.   
  
  
  
  
  
~  
  
  
  
  
  
"What's the matter with you?" Yahiko watched her throw rocks into the lake angrily.  
  
"She called him Ken-ii! Can you believe it! The NERVE! And right in front of me! That..." Kaoru continued her litany, speaking in French again to release her anger. "Ken-ii est MON cousin!"  
  
"Will you stop speaking in french? I can't follow when you speak so fast, remember?" Yahiko interrupted, looking up at the moon and stars. "Its pretty late now, shouldn't we be inside?"  
  
Kagome stopped, half bent towards the ground, remembering she'd told them she was going to bring Yahiko back inside. "We were supposed to be inside a while ago."  
  
She stood and wiped her hands together, trying to rid them of the dirt. Following Yahiko up to the house, they weren't surprised to find Tae there waiting to scold them for being out late without a coat. "Sorry," Kaoru wiped her feet and headed up to her room.  
  
"Dinner will be served in twenty minutes so you'd better change," Tae huffed and went back to the kitchen as a commotion was hear.  
  
"I don't feel like eating en famille tonight," Kaoru mumbled closing the door behind her. After washing her hands in the basin on her nightstand, she went over to her bed, grabbed the stuffed dog on it and curled up, quickly falling asleep.  
  
About ten minutes later a knock sounded on her door and Kenshin poked his head in, surprised to see her sleeping already. [I guess she must have been pretty tired if she fell asleep so early.] Going over to the bed, he smiled at the sight of her curled up and hugging the toy dog he'd given her for her birthday in december two years ago.  
  
Gently removing her shoes, he lifted her into his arms, hushing her sleepy protests and moving back the covers to tuck her into them. Kaoru's eyes opened as he tucked them around her, and she smiled sleepily at him, "Merci Ken-ii."  
  
"You're welcome," he kissed her forehead and watched her go back to sleep, dimming the light beside her bed before he went out.   
  
When he reached the dinning room, he explained to everyone that Kaoru had fallen asleep and would not be dinning with them that night. Aiko's eyes dimmed a bit, "And we did so want Tomoe's first night here to be nice."  
  
"Don't worry, I understand," Tomoe sat down beside Kenshin and smiled at the little boy beside Aiko. "Is anything the matter Yahiko?"  
  
"You're sitting in her chair," the little boy informed her. "Kaoru always sits between Daren and Kenshin, she won't like to hear someone else took her place."   
  
"Yahiko!" Aiko turned wide eyes to the little boy, surprised by his words, "I'm sure Kaoru won't mind Tomoe sitting there. It is, after all, only a chair and not of any significance."  
  
Yahiko nodded, knowing better than to argue with one of his elders. [I wonder how Kaoru will really react.] He remained silent during the rest of the meal, watching their guest and deciding that he didn't like her much.   
  
  
  
  
  
~  
  
  
  
  
  
Much to his relief, he wasn't alone in his opinion. Despite the fact that everyone else adored the lovely Miss Tomoe, neither Kaoru nor Yahiko could stand her, making it obvious in their withdrawal from the family's activities. If Kenshin and Tomoe went to visit Hiko-chan, the kids would hide until they were gone or make up some type of assignment and work on that until they left. If Tomoe and Aiko went shopping or to visit another neighbor, Kaoru made sure not to be around so as not to be dragged off with them.  
  
She was rarely seen in the house, which was uncommon since she had always practiced her piano daily. The sweet music was hardly heard anymore, and if she did play, it was only at times when she knew Tomoe would not hear her. Tae had given them both a good scolding, telling them they had to behave nicely towards their company, but to her further annoyance, they did.  
  
Both Kaoru and Yahiko were perfectly polite and respectful when having to deal with Tomoe. Since she was always with somone, be it Kenshin, Aiko or Daren, they made sure to act nicely, smile, and give their excuses with a sweet tone of voice. Although inwardly they both seethed and wanted to run as far from the girl as they could get, they wouldn't dare do something to get Kenshin or his parents mad at them.  
  
Although Kaoru was certainly mad at her cousin. During the month since Tomoe had been there, he'd been so caught up in entertaining his friend that he'd hardly paid attention to her. She'd been moved to the opposite side of the table, sitting next to Yahiko and with no one else beside her, Aiko hadn't remembered her weekly tea in the garden with her, Daren hadn't been riding with her, and worst of all, Kenshin hadn't tucked her in. During the year she'd been staying with them, he'd always tucked her into bed when he was home... until now.   
  
The first few nights she'd attributed it to the fact that he was excited about his friend staying with them, but after she'd wasted ten candles in hopes he'd remember, she finally gave up and blew them out herself before going to bed, the book they'd been reading left discarded on her shelf instead of her nightstand.  
  
One day, while Kaoru watched Emerson struggling to break in the new horse, whom she'd decided to name Draco, she was surprised to hear a familiar voice speak to her. She turned to find Tomoe standing beside the wooden fence she was sitting on and asked her to repeat her question.  
  
"I said he's beautiful, isn't he?" Tomoe asked again, watching the young girl closely.  
  
"Of course he is, he's wild," Kaoru turned back and watched the horse intently, "He was found out in the forest and they don't think he's been owned before. He had no shoes or anything so show that another person had owned him before to his capture. Not to mention how mean he is."  
  
"You seem to know a lot about him," Tomoe smiled.  
  
Kaoru shrugged, "Was there anything I could help you with?"  
  
"No, I was just hoping we could talk," Tomoe watched for a reaction, "I've been here a month and we have yet to have a full one-on-one conversation."  
  
"We just had it," Kaoru mumbled, leaning back a little as the horse turned towards her. He was angry, she could tell. He'd been let out of his stall in the fenced area so he could get some excercise, but it was too small. He needed more room, or more accurately, he needed to run freely, not be tied up.  
  
"You should get down, he doesn't look too happy to see you there," Tomoe tugged at her sleeve lightly. "Come along Kaoru."  
  
She pulled her sleeve away and threw her head back, defiantly looking the horse in the eye, "I'm not afraid. Draco won't hurt me, I've stayed with him before."  
  
The animal started walking towards them, then running. Kaoru could hear Emerson yelling at her to move, Tomoe behind her was pulling at her dress, but she held on and leaned forward, refusing to move. The horse drew closer and was about to reach her side when she was snatched off the rail roughly, a familiar voice yelling at her.  
  
"What the bloody hell were you thinking?! That horse is dangerous Kaoru! He could have killed you!" Kenshin set her on the ground and turned her to face him, shaking her shoulders a bit. "I've told you not to go near that animal yet both you and Yahiko insist on coming to see it!"   
  
"Because he's not..." Kaoru began to fight argue, cut off by a wave of his hand.  
  
"He IS dangerous, I helped catch him remember? I was here when he was put in his stall and saw his mad kicking. He dislocated Erick's shoulder, bruised one of Emerson's ribs and could have killed you right now! I won't have him here anymore!" Kenshin turned and bellowed for Emerson to get his rifle.  
  
"NO!" Kaoru screamed, turning away from Kenshin and running to the opposite side of the fence where the door was. Throwing it open, Kaoru ran inside and stopped a few feet away from the horse, surprised to see it had followed her when she ran. She stood a mere yard away from him and could see his nose flaring angrily. As he reared back and kicked out with his legs, Kaoru heard everyone's shouts around them and closed her eyes when a hoof came surprisingly close to her.   
  
Time seemed to stop for a second, Kaoru held her breath, waiting for the blow to come, and was surprised when she heard a loud thud and then, finally, felt something wet touching her. Opening her eyes to see a large mouth touching her forehead, she smiled and lifted her hand to stroke his cheek, stepping forward to hug Draco around his large neck.  
  
Kenshin stood frozen at the door and watched her for a moment, petting the horse, cooing soothing words to him, nuzzling her cheek against his neck. The animal was twice her size, and yet as docile as a puppy. [Is this the same horse that has caused us so much trouble?] He sighed in relief watching her there with the animal. He could have sworn his heart stopped when it had reared back as if to strike.  
  
Kaoru smiled and stepped away from the subdued stallion. Walking towards the gate, she wasn't surprised when he stayed by her side, following her past Kenshin and the rest of their stunned audience to his stall. After closing the door, she suddenly realized she was the center of attention and smiled bashfully, excusing herself before she turned and skipped towards the house.  
  
"When did this happen?" Kenshin asked Emerson.  
  
The head groom shrugged, "No idea, the miss hasn't been riding in weeks."  
  
"She hasn't been riding?" Kenshin frowned, knowing it was one of her favorite activities.  
  
Emerson shook his head, "She's come down to the stables for a few minutes at a time, but she hasn't been riding since the morning your friend arrived."  
  
[Tomoe?] Kenshin watched her shake her head while watching Kaoru in the distance and frowned. Making his way over to her side, he offered his arm and began leading the way back inside. "What do you think of that? Not only a distinguished pianist, singer, and composer, she's a horse trainer as well."  
  
"She's a musician?" Tomoe blinked, "You've mentioned it, but I don't believe I've ever heard her play anything."  
  
Now that got Kenshin to stop in surprise, "You haven't heard her play? But surely that's a mistake, the house is always filled with music. She lives to compose."   
  
Tomoe gave a dainty shrug, "I don't recall hearing any music since my arrival, besides at the dinners we've been to of course."  
  
"Hmm... how very odd," Kenshin followed her to the house, hardly listening to her conversation while he thought back over the past month. [When was the last time I spent time with Kaoru?]   
  
Relieved at Tae's informing them that lunch was to be served in the parlor, Kenshin excused himself from Tomoe and headed upstairs to wash up, stopping by Kaoru's room on his way down the hall. To his dismay, she wasn't there and so he hurriedly cleaned himself and headed back down to the parlor to join the family, grinning at the sound of Yahiko's excited voice.  
  
"Can I please keep it? I promise to take very good care of it and not let it loose in the house," the little boy held a box with a toad inside, surrounded by some leaves and the lid of a large tin holding water for it. "See, his leg is hurt and someone needs to watch over him."  
  
"Well..." Aiko smiled down into his begging eyes and nodded, "I agree that he needs watching over so you may keep him until his leg heals."  
  
Yahiko's eyes widened, "Really?! Thank you so much!"  
  
Sitting off to his side, Tomoe made a face and turned her head away when he walked by, hurrying to put the toad away before the meal began. "I must admit I admire your kindness in taking the boy in, after his being orphaned here and everything, but to allow him the priviliges of a noble is a bit much isn't it? The boy should be outside learning a good skill that will help him survive in the real world. And then to tolerate his bringing in such revolting creatures like that toad."  
  
"He's not the only toad in this house," Kaoru's mumble did not go unnoticed by her cousin or uncle.   
  
Aiko merely kept smiling and shook her head, "Yahiko is a part of this family Tomoe, he has every right to the treatment he gets, and his toad was quite lovely in comparison to the one Kenshin brought in."  
  
"Now mother, Weasley was disabled," Kenshin smiled at the memory, "Remember he couldn't leap?"  
  
Daren chuckled, "Remember who broke his legs?"  
  
"Lunch is served," Tae had their food set out quickly, smiling at the memory of Kenshin's toad also.  
  
"But still, I mean, the boy may feel like family but he's really not and the world won't forget that." Tomoe insisted, looking slightly sad and worried, "I don't think its fair to get his hopes up for something better."  
  
"We're not..." Kenshin began to explain when a small voice from the doorway interrupted.  
  
All eyes turned towards the little boy standing proudly in the doorway, "There is no need to worry, Miss Tomoe, I KNOW I am merely the son of a maid and a footman, but the Himura's have been kind enough to watch over me until I am old enough to earn my keep. I know this and don't look to being anything more."  
  
Tomoe bit her lip, keeping her eyes downcast as a wave of regret rolled over her. [I shouldn't have spoken my mind out loud.]  
  
"May I be excused," Kaoru set her napkin on the table, hands folded primly in her lap while she waited.  
  
"No, Yahiko please take your seat," Daren watched to boy nod and walk straight-backed to his chair, using the best manners he'd seen the boy use. "We're lunching 'en famille' today and will retire to the music room afterwords to hear Kaoru play, and I want to hear nothing about this again, the topic is closed."   
  
"Of course your grace," Tomoe slid teary eyes to Kenshin and was shocked to see him sitting stiffly beside her, anger evident in his posture. [I can't believe he's angry with me! Ken's never been angry with me before!] Looking to the children across from them, a confused look crossed her eyes as she watched them. Sure, they were both behaving as they should, but one was the son of servants and the other was a simple-minded little french girl, and everyone knew how boorish french people were.   
  
As they finished their meal and stood, it was Kaoru who broke the silence, her soft voice reaching everyone. "I don't mean to upset you further Uncle Daren, but must I play? I'm not feeling up to the task."   
  
Daren sighed, knowing she wanted to run away with Yahiko most likely and shook his head. "I haven't heard you in days, now I want to see where your practicing has gotten you."  
  
To everyone's surprise, Kenshin spoke up also, "I'm sure we'd all love to hear Kaoru play but I just remembered Tomoe and I have an appointment to see the Rowlands in about half an hour and we need to change."  
  
Kaoru kept her eyes locked on the ground a knot formed in her throat, growing tighter by the moment while he spoke. Daren began to argue when Tomoe cut in again. "But your grace, Kaoru did say she didn't feel up to it today, perhaps we should hold things off until tomorrow when she might feel more inspired?"   
  
"Is this appointment really so important? It is just another social call which you could make tomorrow," Daren glared at his son.  
  
"Its all right, I really don't feel like playing right now," Kaoru smiled at her uncle's good intentions, keeping her eyes from Kenshin on purpose.  
  
"Actually, they must go, we meant to surprise you all but I suppose it was bound to be discovered." Aiko broke in, "Two days ago during our visit with Marie, we were discussing the possibilities of throwing a ball."   
  
"A ball?" Kaoru's eyes lit up, smiling at Yahiko.  
  
"No use in getting your hopes up sweeting, you aren't old enough yet to be there," Daren chuckled at her crestfallen expression. "Will the announcement be made that night?"  
  
[Announcement?] Kaoru and Yahiko shared a confused look, which went unnoticed by the adults in the room.   
  
"We thought it a good idea to celebrate both engagements at the same time," Kenshin smiled, "After all, I did grow up with Megumi and we both agree that it would be fun to announce our up-coming nuptuals together."   
  
"That's just like you two," Daren smiled and nodded in agreement, "If it's what you want then get going, you have just enough time to change and head over."  
  
"Wonderful, we're so excited!" Tomoe excused herself and headed towards her room, Aiko going up with her.  
  
"Well, it looks like you're off the hook young lady," Daren turned his smile towards Kaoru and was surprised by her pallor. "Are you feeling all right dear?"   
  
"Oui," Kaoru blinked, not noticing their worried expressions, "Je dois fais mes devoirs, excuse moi."   
  
"Excuse me too," Yahiko followed her upstairs, knowing the girl was probably devastated. Reaching her room, he was surprised when she asked him to go away. "But you don't look so good Kaoru."   
  
"I'll be fine," her voice cracked a bit and he could see her struggling to make her chin stop trembling, tears pooling in her eyes.   
  
"I don't know about that," Yahiko insisted, voice softening as a tear slipped down her cheek, "You thought he'd wait for you, didn't you?"   
  
Kaoru's eyes hardened and she turned to push him out of her room, "Just leave me alone Yahiko!"   
  
The slamming of her door behind him made his anger snap. Running downstairs, he was just in time to see Kenshin help Tomoe into the carriage and quickened his strides. "You jerk!"   
  
"Yahiko!" Aiko turned startled eyes towards the boy glowering at her son, "What is the matter with you?"   
  
"I'M fine! Its Kaoru who's crying her heart out in her room!" Yahiko stood a couple of steps above Kenshin where he could stare him in the eyes.   
  
"You know, I don't care that you didn't tell me, but Kaoru's a different story. For the past MONTH the girl's been hoping you'll remember that she's alive! You used to tuck her in at night and read those stupid books! You used to listen to her play and take her for picnics. Hell, you used to acknowledge when she was in the room!"   
  
His enraged eyes filled with tears as he spoke, "You haven't even missed her have you? She got in trouble with Tae for wasting candles after leaving them on overnight in hopes you'd remember! You're her best friend Kenshin! No one can make her smile the way you can! When you're gone she sulks for a week and plays gloomy music! When your letters arrive she's the first one to open them! You're her Ken-ii and you're engaged and you couldn't bother to tell her yourself?!"   
  
He glared at Tomoe also, angrily swiping at the tears that had spilled down his cheeks while he turned to glare at Kenshin again. "You forgot all about Kaoru when Tomoe arrived, and she's slowly been brushed aside by your fiancee more and more. First she uses Kaoru's nickname Ken-ii for you, then she takes her place at the table, and now she's taking you away permanently!"   
  
He turned to glare at the girl watching from the carriage, "What next? Will we be living in the stables soon? Serving your food at the table? That is, after all, what I was born to do right? What would you have Kaoru do?"   
  
A shocked gasp escaped the girl, who quickly looked to Kenshin to defend her, "Ken-ii?"  
  
"Didn't you just hear me say you shouldn't call him that! He's not your cousin! He's your finacee!" Yahiko gave her one more glare and turned back to Kenshin, "You'd better apologize to Kaoru and don't mention my yelling at you! If you pretend to be interested in her she'll forget about everything."   
  
His shoulders finally slumped, a hurt look coming into his eyes, "She always forgives YOU for everything."   
  
Turning before he could reply, Yahiko ran back inside, slamming the door to his own room angrily.   
  
  
  
  
  
~  
  
  
  
  
  
"He's right," Kenshin felt a wave of guilt swamp him at the thought of Kaoru crying because of him. "Didn't Kaoru know I was engaged?"  
  
Aiko and Daren shook their heads, realizing they'd been neglecting her as well. "We thought you'd told her yourself."  
  
"The poor thing," Aiko looked at her son as he apologized to Tomoe.  
  
"We'll have to postpone our visit with Megumi for tomorrow," He took her hand and helped her out of the carriage, frowning in annoyance at her slight pout.  
  
"If we must," she sighed and excused herself, going up to her room to lie down for a bit.  
  
Kenshin and his parents followed her inside, but he was the only one to go up to Kaoru's room. Standing outside her door, he felt his heart break at the sound of her muffled sobs, opening the door and stepping in quietly. Making his way over to the bed, he wasn't surprised to see the book they'd been reading was no longer on her nightstand. Kaoru lay on her side facing away from the door, hugging her dog and sobbing into her pillow.   
  
"Please stop," Kenshin sat by her side, watching her sit up and turn wide, red-rimmed eyes towards him.   
  
"Ken... *hiccup* ... Ken-ii?"  
  
"Yeah," Kenshin gave a lopsided smile and wiped the tears from her cheeks, cupping her chin in his hands. "How many times has this happened lately?"   
  
Karou frowned, "What?"   
  
"How many times have I made you cry?" Kenshin watched her avert her eyes and shrug.   
  
Her voice was soft and hurt as she spoke, "It doesn't really matter. I had gotten so used to depending on you, I forgot why I hadn't done it with anyone before I came."   
  
She gave a wry smile, her eyes taking on that wisdom he'd seen before, the type that surpassed a girl of her years and made his anger at his family resurface. Her voice brought him back into focus, "Luckily I remember again, I can handle being ignored by you now."   
  
Her shoulders slumped a bit as her eyes watched her hands, "Its just that I always thought you'd tell me you were getting married in a better way. Or at the very least that you'd tell me yourself."  
  
"I'm so sorry Kaoru, I thought my parents had told you," Kenshin pulled her close, running a hand through her loose hair.   
  
"I understand, you're engaged now, I can't expect you to have time for me and Yahiko anymore." She smiled a bit and sniffled, "You have to keep your fiancee happy right?"  
  
"That doesn't mean I can just ignore you the way I have been, its just been strange trying to arrange things for the wedding and the reception and everything." Kenshin sighed and toyed with her hair, "I've been really busy, but that doesn't forgive my neglecting you lately, and its not even been just me has it?"   
  
Kaoru shrugged, "You've all been busy and Yahiko and I are perfectly capable of watching out for ourselves. We've done well in our studies, we both passed the review exams we had last week and were given new books by professor Hayworth."  
  
"And what about your music? Have you written anything lately?" Kenshin asked, not surprised to feel her shake her head.  
  
Kaoru sighed, "I haven't had much time to practice or much inspiration."   
  
"You're always inspired," Kenshin reminded her.  
  
"Not lately," Kaoru shrugged and looked back up to her dear cousin, smiling to see him worrying about her. "I'm ok now Ken-ii, really, there's no need for you to feel so bad. I can't say I haven't missed you, I've missed you terribly, but I can get along on my own."   
  
"I don't want you to," Kenshin insisted, hugging her closer to him, relieved to hear her giggle a little. "I'm sorry we've been preoccupied but I promise to make things better and not to ignore you anymore."   
  
"Its all right," Kaoru hugged him back, breathing in the familiar scent of sandalwood and Kenshin which she'd come to love. [Just don't let go] Kaoru tightened her hold as a thought ran through her mind, her voice suddenly sad again. "Are you going to live in London now?"   
  
"I'm afraid so," Kenshin sighed and moved back to lean against a bedpost, pulling her along with him so she lay across his lap, her head pillowed on his shoulder.   
  
"Its so far away," Kaoru whispered, thinking of the week of traveling it took the last time they'd gone.   
  
Kenshin nodded, hugging her a bit closer, "But I'll still see you."   
  
"How often though?"   
  
"I can't promise it'll be too often, at Christmas time and easter, probably a few weeks in the summer and a couple more times in between the holidays." Kenshin frowned, the idea of not seeing his lively little cousin suddenly making his excitement dim a bit. He'd always been a few hours ride away, coming home as often as possible, usually two to three times a month and spending the whole weekend with the family.   
  
Kaoru nodded, tears forming in her eyes again, "I'm gonna miss you."   
  
"We'll keep in touch, its not the end of the world," Kenshin tried to lighten the mood, forcing a bit of cheerfullness into his voice.  
  
[Perhaps not yours] Kaoru nodded again, tears slipping silently down her cheeks as they sat there quietly. Each was lost in thought over their quickly changing future, a sense of foreboding going through both of them.  
  
  
  
  
  
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Again, sorry for the long time without updates, hopefully I'll be getting a more steady rhythm going with this story. Thanks to all my readers! 


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